Benson's Way
by HeroicHermione
Summary: Homicide detective Olivia Benson was used to doing things her way. After six different partners in seven years, she was not prepared for the hot-tempered Alexandra Cabot. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Benson's Way  
><strong>Rating: <strong>M  
><strong>Pairing:<strong> Alexandra Cabot/Olivia Benson

**AN:** Leave feedback if you'd like to read more of this.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Law and Order: SVU_. _Hunter's Way_ is a novel by Gerri Hill.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

"Benson, get in here."

Olivia glanced at Captain Cragen, then tossed the file she had been scanning onto her desk. She ignored the curious stares of the other detectives as she walked calmly into his office.

"Shut the door," he said.

She did and sat down quietly in front of him, waiting. His bald head glistened under the fluorescent lights and she silently watched him as he rubbed his bare forehead. Finally, he looked up from a thick file, locking glances with her. She looked down and realized that the file he had been looking at was her own.

"You're been with me seven years, Olivia."

"Yes, sir."

He took his glasses off and tossed them on top of the file, then leaned back in his chair.

"You've had six partners."

She sighed and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Not this again.

"Wasn't it only a few months ago that we went over this?" she asked.

"Yes. And at that time, you'd only had five partners."

"You cannot possibly blame me for Dickhead's two broken legs," she exclaimed.

"Detective Kaplan will most likely be on desk duty the rest of his career." Then he sighed. "Dickhead?"

"You didn't have to work with him every day," she said dryly. "He was a prick."

"If witnesses hadn't verified that you'd jumped out first, I'd be the first to think you'd pushed him out of the goddamn window."

"Oh, please. If I'd wanted to get rid of him that badly, I'd have just shot him."

He let a ghost of a smile cross his face, laughing outright when he met her eyes. "Olivia, you know I let you get away with more shit than anyone else in this squad. You're my best detective and you know it. Hell, everyone knows it. But this thing with partners, it's got to stop."

"Don, is it my fault they get injured?"

"Injured?" He grabbed her file and flipped through the pages. "Two were killed in the line of duty, Benson. One is on permanent disability. Two quit the force. And now Kaplan. Desk duty because he'll walk with a limp the rest of his life."

She looked away. She wanted to feel remorse. She really did. But she'd not had a relationship with any of them. They had not liked her and she had not liked them. They never clicked, never formed the bond necessary to be partners. They had not trusted each other. And that makes for the worst of partners.

"You can't blame me for this. I tried to tell you with every one of them that it wasn't working. None of them could get past the fact that I'm a woman," she said.

"I know you did, and I know they weren't right for you. But I don't always get to make the decisions. You're too much of a maverick, Benson. You don't follow rules. I find it amazing that it hasn't caught up with you yet."

She glared at him. She'd heard this speech numerous times before. It always preceded his announcement that she would be getting a new partner.

"So who is he this time? Some burnout from Central?"

Captain Cragen shuffled through papers on his desk and put his glasses back on.

"Detective Cabot. From Assault."

"And?"

"And she's been assigned to us."

"_She?_" Olivia sat up straight in her chair. "A woman? You're pairing me with a woman?" She leaned her elbows on his desk. "Don? I goddamn _woman?_"

"What's wrong with that? You're a woman."

She rose quickly, pacing across his office. A woman? Some bimbo from assault? Jesus!

"She won't last a day," Olivia threatened. "And you know it."

"She will last a day, Olivia." Cragen stood, too, and pointed his finger at her. "Because if she doesn't, they'll ship you out to foot patrol in Central. Or they'll put you behind a desk in CIU. Hell, Benson, even the Chief called me."

"The Chief? Christ, I didn't think he knew my name."

"I mean it, Benson. Make this work. I don't want to lose you, but I can't protect you forever. In case you haven't noticed, no one wants to work with you."

Olivia shoved her hands in her pockets, her dark eyes piercing his. A woman. Well, this ought to be fun.

"Take her under your wing, Olivia. Show her the ropes. It might do you good to have a female partner. You'll be the only one shooting off testosterone that way."

"Very funny."

**to be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

Don't expect me to be able to type chapters out as quickly as I did with this one. I'm aiming to update twice a week.:)

_See chapter one for disclaimer._

You asked, you shall receive...

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Alexandra Cabot smoothed her blazer over her neatly pressed slacks one more time before entering the squad room. Walking confidently to the Sergeant's desk, she stood patiently as he finished typing a report. Finally, he looked up.

"Yeah?"

"I'm Detective Cabot. Captain Cragen is expecting me," she said.

"Through there." He pointed. "Name's on the door."

"Thank you," he said politely, but he had gone back to his typing, dismissing her.

She walked into the large room, easily sidestepping two uniformed officers who nearly bumped into her. She glanced around, noticing that most of the desks were empty. A phone rang insistently and she wondered why no one picked it up. Her eyes finally landed on a handsome young man with blue eyes who flashed her a grin. She nodded at him and continued on, her eyes scanning the offices for Captain Cragen's name.

"Need some help?"

She turned. The blue-eyed man was standing, his eyes traveling up her body and resting on her breasts. God, could he be less subtle?

"Hey, eyes are up here," she said slowly, pointing to her face. When he finally looked up, she asked, "I'm looking for Captain Cragen."

"Two doors down. Right there," he said, pointing with one well-manicured hand. Then he walked over. "I'm detective Cassidy. Brian. Is there something I can help you with?"

Alexandra looked him over, much as he had done her. Then she smiled.

"No, thanks."

She knocked once on the Captain's door, then entered.

Olivia hung up the phone and looked up as Cassidy intercepted the young woman walking through. He flashed his most seductive smile and she shook her head. Any woman was fair game as far as Cassidy was concerned. She was about to turn away when the woman walked purposefully to the Captain's office.

Surely to God this was not her new partner. She leaned back in her chair and studied the woman. She would have called the woman petite, but she was a bit too tall for that. She looked almost slight in the blazer than hung loosely from her shoulders. She watched until the woman walked into the Captain's office, then slid her eyes to Cassidy.

"Back off, Benson. She's out of your league," Cassidy said from across the room with a laugh.

Olivia gave him a humorless smile. "She looks like she might have a brain cell or two. I think she's obviously out of _your_ league, Cassidy."

The other detectives laughed and Brian Cassidy took his seat.

"Good one, Benson."

Olivia looked up and caught the laughing eyes of Elliot Stabler. He was really her only friend on the squad, if she would even call him that. She often wondered why Cragen didn't partner her up with him. They got along well and on the few occasions they had worked together, he had never once treated her as anything other than his equal.

She looked around the room at the other detectives. Odafin Tutuola had come up with her in the Academy. He probably knew her better than anyone here, but he avoided her like the plague. She was the only woman and he was the only African-American. He knew all about discrimination. Apparently he thought it only involved skin color, not gender.

Then there was John Munch. A fifty-two-year-old who was strictly old-school. Women had no place on the force, and they certainly had no place among the detectives. He took every opportunity to belittle her. But what he and the others didn't understand was that she simply didn't care whether they liked her or not. She did her job.

She finally glanced at Brian Cassidy. Even she had to admit he was handsome. Blond and blue-eyed, he used his looks to get witnesses to talk time and again. Unfortunately, that was his best quality as a detective. He, most of all, despised Olivia. Not because she was a woman. Cassidy was probably the only one here who could work with a woman. No, he disliked her because she was gay.

She shrugged, then went back to her files. None of it mattered. She had the best conviction rate among them all and she never rested until her cases were solved. Night after night, they would all go home to their lives and their familiar and she would stay, poring over reports again and again. But then, it wasn't like she had someone to go home to.

– – –

"Captain Cragen?"

"Yes, come in. You must be Cabot."

"Yes, sir."

Don observed the woman who walked into his office and took a seat in front of his desk. He hadn't known what to expect, but he assumed it would be someone older, more seasoned. Not the young blonde sitting before him now. She was attractive. Her blond hair reached past the collar of her blazer, and she nervously brushed it away from her face. Oh, Benson would eat her alive. He gave it two days before the woman came running scared to him, asking for a new partner. Then blue eyes met his own and he smiled. She returned the smile and his old heart did a flip-flop. She was beautiful.

He cleared his through and picked up the file he'd been given yesterday. He'd barely glanced through it.

"I understand you requested this move," he stared. "Your Lieutenant said they had you earmarked for CIU."

"CIU doesn't really appeal to me," Alexandra said. "More desk work than anything."

"A stepping-stone to the FBI," Cragen countered. "We've lost some good men that way."

She smiled. "Yes, but I'm a woman."

Don felt his face flush. "Figure of speech."

"Yes, sir."

"So, you've been with the Assault Division four years. You have a good record, your Lieutenant spoke highly of you. Why the change?"

"Every Lieutenant and Captain I've met comes from Homicide. Not Assault."

He smiled "So, you have higher aspirations than just a lowly detective, huh?"

"I spent three years on the East Side, three in Central. I was honored when they requested me at Assault. But after four years, I watched men come and go, moving on to Homicide, CIU, Tactical. They skipped right over me. Please don't take this the wrong way, but as a woman, I understand if you want to move up higher in the chain, you have to do things twice as well as the men. Where better than Homicide?"

Don Cragen grinned, then laughed. Well, looked like he'd just found Olivia Benson the perfect partner. A woman with ambition.

She raised her eyebrows. "Funny?"

"No, no. I'm laughing at myself, not at you." He patted the thick file on his desk. "I take it you don't know anything about your new partner?"

"No, sir. But please don't tell me he's some old-timer who can't stand to work with women."

"Oh, no. Detective Benson. He's a she."

"Benson?"

"Heard of her?"

Alexandra had heard the stories. She was a nutcase, by most accounts. _Great. Just great._

"I've heard some," she said. "Didn't her partner get killed a few years ago?"

"She's my best detective. Somewhat of a rogue It's hard to keep her on a tight leash. But you can learn a lot from her. If she'll let you."

"If she'll _let_ me?"

"She likes to work alone. Damn near lives here. Her partners go home, she stays here, cleans up the case. They come back the next day, it's all done. Most men can't take that. She rarely listens to advice from her partners, just does her own thing. They either follow her or get lost in the chase. Two have been killed in the line of duty. Everyone wanted to blame Benson. But in both instances, they decided not to follow her lead. She came out unscathed and got her man. They ended up dead by simply making the wrong decision."

"Two actually quit the force after working with her. Another was injured when a car ran over him. Permanent disability. And Kaplan, your predecessor, jumped out of a two-story window and broke both legs."

"Why in the world did he jump?"

"He was following her."

Alexandra's eyebrows shot up. "_She_ jumped out of a two-story window?"

"Yes." Then he grinned. "Just like the movies. Jumped to the fire escape, swung down the railing, bounced off the trash Dumpster and caught the perp."

"Great," she murmured. Definitely a nutcase.

He stood, motioning her to do the same.

"Let me introduce you around. A couple of things, but you'll find out soon enough yourself: Munch is old-school. You're a woman and he won't give you the time of day. And Cassidy, he fancies himself a ladies' man. He _will_ give you the time of day. Every day. But there's no love lost between them and Benson. In fact, Stabler is the only one that gets on well with Benson. A mild case of hero worship or a crush or something." He stopped before opening his door. "Don't you dare tell either of them I said that."

"No, sir."

He motioned her out the door, then followed, stopping in the middle of the squad room.

"Listen up, people."

All heads popped up except Olivia's. She continued with her phone conversation, ignoring the Captain and the young woman.

"Detective Cabot's been assigned to us from Assault. She'll be replacing Kaplan."

He pointed around the room and Alexandra followed his introductions.

"John Munch and Odafin Tutuola. Brian Cassidy and Elliot Stabler over there. Sergeant Fisk out front there. And Olivia Benson. That's our team."

Alexandra nodded at them, murmuring hellos, her eyes landing on the woman who would be her new partner, landing on her profile anyway. The woman had yet to look her way.

"Make her feel at home." Then, to Alexandra, "Come on. I'll introduce you personally."

Olivia hung up the phone just as Cragen walked over.

"Benson, this is Detective Cabot. She's been assigned to you. Try to play nice," he said with just a hint of a threat.

Olivia looked over the blond woman in front of her, with her pressed slacks and neat jacket. No jewelry, save the watch and earrings. Hesitant blue eyes peered back at her, then the woman offered her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Detective Benson," she said pleasantly.

"Yeah. A real pleasure," she said dryly. The woman looked like an attorney, not a cop. She wondered if she'd ever done fieldwork or just sat behind a desk. "That's yours," she said, pointing to the desk butting up against her own. At least he woman would be nicer to look at than Kaplan's old sour puss.

Alexandra looked quickly at Captain Cragen, who smiled apologetically and squeezed her shoulder.

"You'll be fine," he said quietly, then left them alone.

Alexandra looked back to the other woman, who had already picked up the phone again. Great. Just great. She hates me already, she thought.

"Sit down."

She stared at the woman, who had the phone cradled against her shoulder, and took the file she handed her. She sat, her eyes still on the dark-haired woman.

"Yeah, this is Benson. I need the lab results." A pause. "You said it would be this morning." Another pause. "It's goddamn nine o' clock! That is morning."

Alexandra raised her eyebrows.

"Fine. If you meant noon, then say noon." Olivia slammed the phone down. "Idiots," she murmured.

Alexandra watched, her apprehension growing with each passing second. She should have stayed in Assault. She should have requested CIU.

"Teenage girl found in a trash Dumpster on the East Side. Jane Doe," Olivia said, pointing to the file she'd handed Cabot. "Hooker, most likely. Consensus is a john killed her. But I don't think so."

"If a john killed her, why would he go to all the trouble of dumping her body? Why not leave it?"

Olivia looked up, startled. That was her theory as well.

"Maybe if he left her at the scene, there would be too much evidence that would point to him," Olivia said.

"Motels that rent by the hour? Come on. You could get hundreds of prints."

Olivia nodded.

"Okay. Her pimp?"

"That would be logical, but we can't find anyone who recognizes her."

"Then maybe she's not from East Dallas," Alexandra said. "Downtown?"

"Probably. There's a small area on the West End and Little Mexico. That's about it."

"She was black. I doubt she worked Little Mexico," Alexandra said.

Olivia leaned back and studied the other woman. She looked young.

"How long have you been a detective?"

"Five years. Why?"

"You barely look thirty," Olivia said.

"Thirty-four, but does it matter?"

"Of course it matters. No one takes a woman seriously, especially when she looks like she's fresh out of college."

"Why, thank you. I knew there was a compliment in there somewhere," Alexandra said sarcastically.

Olivia Benson stood and grabbed her coffee cup and walked away. Alexandra stared after her. She was shorter than Alexandra, but only by a few inches. Short dark hair, dark eyes. She wouldn't call her boyish, she was too attractive for that. Definitely moody. Why the sudden change? Did she answer one of the questions wrong?

"Don't worry about her, honey. She's just being her usual bitchy self," Brian Cassidy told her as he walked over.

"Excuse me?"

"Benson," he explained.

"No. _Honey?_ Were you talking to me?"

He flashed her a charming smile and sat on the corner of her desk.

"Sorry. No offense." He stuck out his hand. "Brian Cassidy, at your service," he said.

She took his hand, then dropped it quickly as he squeezed.

"No offense, Brian, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me _honey_. I'll try to refrain from calling you names as well."

He laughed and she smiled at him. He really was attractive, she had to admit.

"So, you're stuck with Benson. Sorry about that. I wish you luck."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," she said.

"Well, if you need _anything_ . . . _anything_ at all, you just let me know."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Olivia came back with two steaming cups of coffee and set one on Alexandra's desk. She flicked her eyes to Cassidy.

"Don't you have work to do?"

"Just introducing myself, Benson. Don't get excited."

"Trust me, you don't excite me."

He laughed again, then pulled himself off of Alexandra's desk, ignoring Olivia. "So, Alexandra, you want to maybe get dinner some night? I can fill you in on all the local gossip," he offered.

"No thanks. I'm involved with someone. I doubt he'd appreciate that," she said.

He shrugged. "You never know. Offer is always open," he said as he walked away.

"Stay away from him," Olivia said. "He's a jerk."

Alexandra smiled. Yes, she agreed.

"Does anyone here like you?" she asked.

"No."

"Why?"

"I don't bullshit, I don't play games."

"That doesn't mean you can't be friends with the people you work with," Alexandra said.

"Friends? With those guys?" Olivia leaned forward. "Munch hates me because I'm a woman. He could care less about my job performance. I'm just a woman. Tutuola, his partner, follows his lead, even though Munch barely tolerates him because he's black. Stabler is the only one who shows me even the slightest consideration and because of that, he has to listen to ridicule from the others, especially Cassidy, his partner."

"That can't all be because you're a woman."

"No, not just because I'm a woman. Because I'm a woman and I'm better at the job than they are."

"Oh. Well, it's good to know you're not in the least conceited," Alexandra said with a smile.

"Why are you here?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did they ask you or did you volunteer?"

"I requested a transfer months ago. I don't know what you're talking about."

Olivia nodded and sipped from her coffee. "So, you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes. Why?"

Olivia shrugged. "It'll make it easier on you. Cassidy will only hit on you every other day. Munch will at least think there's hope you'll get married and pregnant and get out of his territory."

"You paint a very bleak picture of this office, Benson. I've worked around men my whole career. I've never had a problem with them. I doubt I will here, either. I do a good job."

Olivia shrugged again. She was probably right. She was straight and attractive. She was no threat to them. Unlike herself.

"I'm going to go down to Central and show our girl's picture around. Maybe she's been hauled in before want to come?"

"As opposed to staying here and being leered at by Cassidy?"

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying this, it's one of my favorite stories of all time. Anyway, this chapter is kind of short so I was thinking I would update it in the next 24 hours... or maybe I will stick with updating every two or so days. What do you all think?

_See chapter one for disclaimer._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

It was after six when Alexandra walked into her apartment and collapsed on her sofa. It had been a mentally trying day and she was exhausted. She glanced over at the phone. Three messages. Kicking off her shoes, she stretched out, hitting her voice mail as she lay down.

_"It's me, sweetheart. I wanted to see if you were up to dinner. Can't wait to hear about your first day. Call me when you get in."_

She nodded, waiting for the beep.

_"It's me. So how did it go? If you can sneak away from Trevor one night, why don't we get dinner? It's been awhile."_

She nodded, mentally making a note to call Abbie later.

_"Sorry, Alexandra, can't do dinner tonight after all. I've got a late meeting. I'll call you when I'm done. Maybe I can swing by."_

She shook her head. She was too tired. She was actually thankful Trevor had a meeting. She pushed off the sofa, taking her clothes off as she headed to the bathroom. A long, hot shower helped revive her somewhat. Unfortunately, her refrigerator didn't miraculously contain dinner. Sorting through the frozen meals in her freezer, she grabbed one and popped it in the microwave. Her refrigerator did, however, contain a bottle of wine.

She took a glass and the entire bottle into the living room, settling into her chair.

"Ahh," she murmured as she put her feet up. She grabbed the phone, and with her thumb, punched out Abbie's number.

"It's me," she said when her best friend answered.

"Well, hello, Detective. How'd it go?"

Alexandra smiled and sipped from her wine.

"I survived . . . barely," she said. "I'm afraid it's dangerously close to a mental ward, but I survived."

"That bad, huh?"

"I've never seen so many egos and that much testosterone in one place before."

Abbie laughed. "I told you to stay put. The boys in Homicide don't mess around with little girls."

"My partner's a woman," Alexandra said.

"You're kidding? What? They lump you both together so you won't get in the way?"

"You may have heard of her. Olivia Benson."

"Jesus Christ! She's the nut that jumped out of the two-story building. We're defending the guy she nabbed," Abbie said.

"Yes, that's her. So, you got the case?"

"No, Michaels does. It's a dead end, though. He's going to plea."

"She's supposedly very good at her job," Alexandra said. "She doesn't exactly fare too well with partners, though. I'm not sure we're going to get along."

"Yes. But not everyone likes her. It's going to be difficult. She's moody as hell and she resents me being assigned to her."

"I'm sure you'll win her over. Where's Trevor?"

"Meeting. Thankfully. I was too tired for dinner. In fact, I'm too tired for company, period."

"So how are things going with you guys?"

"Okay."

"Okay? You've been seeing him for two years. When are you going to talk marriage?"

"Marriage? I don't think we're at that stage, Abbie." In fact, she knew she wasn't. Trevor had hinted they might move in together, but she'd balked. She liked her privacy and her time alone. He didn't really understand but he didn't push. Not much, anyway.

"He's a good guy, Alexandra. You could do a lot worse."

"Yes, I know. He's a sweetheart. I'm just not ready to get married."

"You think it'll interfere with your career?"

"Well, there's that," she said. "He hates it now when I'm out nights. Can you imagine if we were married?"

"And working Homicide, you'll be out nights more often," Abbie said.

"Most likely. So, how are you doing? Still seeing Eric?" Alexandra asked, thankful to change the subject.

"Yes. I wish I could say I'm in love with him, but I'm not. He's just so damn attractive. I keep thinking it'll come," she said with a laugh.

Alexandra shook her head. Abbie had always been swayed by a pretty face. In that, Alexandra was lucky. Trevor was handsome and she was . . . well, she loved him. Was she in love with him? Maybe. At least she thought she should be.

They really had a great relationship. They rarely argued. When they did, it was usually over cases. He was a defense attorney. Thankfully, they had never worked the same case.

She was asleep on the sofa when he called later that evening. He wanted to come over.

"Trevor, I'm really exhausted. Can we hook up tomorrow?" she asked.

"Of course. How did it go today?"

"It went . . . okay," she said. "It'll be different, that's for sure," she said around a yawn. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"That's okay. Go back to sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

She wanted to burrow deeper into the sofa, but she made herself get up and into bed.

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

_See chapter one for disclaimer._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

Alexandra felt refreshed when her alarm went off at six. She showered quickly, deciding to grab coffee on the way. She wanted to be early. For some reason, she felt the need to beat Olivia Benson to work.

It was a sunny morning and warm for March. Of course, that was relative. March in Dallas was either hinting at summer or hanging on to winter. Spring lasted but a few weeks.

She was early enough to beat traffic and she stopped at a coffeehouse on the corner of Commerce and Oakland. She eyed the pastries before deciding on a croissant. Ham and cheese filled, but still better than a pastry, she reasoned. She ate while she drove the two blocks to the station. She was early. The lot was only half full.

But her good mood vanished when she saw Olivia Benson sitting at her desk, phone already tucked on her shoulder. The same as it was when she'd left last evening. Damn, did the woman even go home?

"Morning," she said.

"Uh-huh." Olivia glanced up briefly, then away. "It's Benson. I want to go over the lab reports. I'll be down in a half-hour." A pause. "Yes, I know what time it is. Do you?" She hung up. "Idiots."

"Well, off to another fine start," Alexandra murmured. She pulled out her chair and sat looking at her new partner, wondering what was on the agenda today. The lab reports, obviously. She'd left after five and they hadn't received them yet. Apparently, Olivia had gotten her hands on them somehow.

"Seems our girl was busy before she died. Four different semen types," Olivia said.

"When did you get the report?"

"Last night," she said absently. "You want to come or do you want to stay here and settle in?"

Alexandra waited until Olivia Benson looked up.

"Are you always this difficult to work with?"

"Yes."

"No wonder Kaplan jumped. He was probably wishing it was four stories instead of two."

"Very funny. Are you coming?"

"Yes, Benson, I'm coming. Christ, did you even go home?"

"No."

"Did you sleep?"

Olivia turned and faced Alexandra.

"Whether I slept or not and where is none of your business." She turned and left without another word.

"Lovely. I've landed in hell."

The trip to the lab was made in silence and Alexandra kept her hands locked together in her lap, staring straight ahead as they crept along in traffic. _Couldn't wait a half-hour and let the traffic die, no. Had to leave right then. Had to have us stuck together in this god-damn car._

"So, do your friends call you Alex?"

"Excuse me?" It was the first words they had spoken since they left the squad room.

"Alex? Do they call you that?"

"Not if they expect me to answer them," Alexandra said.

Olivia nodded. "Alex it is, then."

"No. I detest that name."

"Sorry. Alexandra is just to . . . formal."

"Formal? It's my name."

"I like Alex better," Olivia said.

"Well, I don't. I forbid you to call me Alex."

"Forbid?" Olivia laughed. "You're not serious, are you?"

_I hate her._

It seemed like hours later before they walked into the lab. Alexandra noticed that no one greeted them. In fact, they avoided them. _Great. I'm partnered with a psycho whom no one can stand._ She thought it was amazing that Benson got any cooperation at all in the department.

"Jackson. Good morning," Olivia said, walking up to an older man and touching hands with him briefly. "This is Alex Cabot, my new partner," she said, motioning to Alexandra.

"It's Alexandra," she said through clenched teeth as she shook the doctor's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Detective. I'm Arthur Jackson." He took a stick of gum from his lab coat and folded it into thirds before sticking it into his mouth "My staff tells me you've been badgering them, Benson. What's the problem?"

"No problem. Just six hours late on lab reports," she said. "I got impatient."

He laughed. "You get impatient when we're an hour late. I can't imagine your attitude after six." He walked down the hall and they followed. "Your Jane Doe was a popular gal, Detective. I'm guessing she's sixteen, maybe seventeen. Hard to tell. Life on the street ages you quickly."

"Her street name was Lorraine," Olivia said. "She's fairly new on the streets, they tell me."

Alexandra stared, wondering how in the world Olivia had gotten this information. And why the hell hadn't she told her.

"I'm going to guess she's from New Orleans," Dr. Jackson said. "She has a tattoo on her right arm. Mardi Gras type of thing. We traced it. Some sort of gang symbol down there. Sara's running a report for you."

"Thanks. Now, what about the semen?"

Dr. Jackson held the door open to his office and they preceded him, each taking a seat in front of his desk.

"Four types. You'd think they'd be smart enough to use condoms." He flipped open a file on his desk. "Two were from semen in the rectum. The only sign of violence was strangulation. No recent bruises. There were two old fractures. Wrist and tibia. That's it."

"You run the semen through? No DNA matches?"

"None."

"Drugs?"

"Clean."

"Not much to go on, Doc."

"No. There's not."

Alexandra sat and listened to their exchange, still seething because Olivia apparently had been working last night while she was sleeping peacefully in her bed.

Olivia's cell phone interrupted her thoughts. She watched as Olivia pulled it off the clip on her jeans.

"Benson."

_"God another hooker. Dumpster over in Central."_

Alexandra saw the frown, the tightening of lips.

"Great. Thanks, Fisk." Olivia looked briefly at Alexandra, then folded her cell phone. "Got another body, Jackson." She stood, then turned back. "I'm looking for a semen match."

Alexandra hurried after Olivia as she nearly ran down the hallway. She hated not knowing what the hell was going on. When they were on the road again, Alexandra turned to her.

"What's up?"

"They found another body."

"Yes. I heard. Thank you. But I want to know what's going on," she said.

Olivia shrugged. "You know as much as I do."

"Bullshit! How do you know her street name was Lorraine?"

"I asked."

"You asked who?"

"Hookers."

"Goddamn it, Benson! I'm supposed to be your partner. Not some puppy dog that just follows you around during daylight hours and goes home. If you were going out last night, why didn't you tell me? I could have gone with you."

"You'd already put in nine hours, Detective. You were tired. You have a boyfriend waiting. There was no reason for you to hang around the back alleys at midnight asking about a dead hooker."

"What the hell does that have to do with anything? If you're working, I should be working. You could have at least asked me," she said.

"I work at odd hours. I doubt you'd be able to keep up," Olivia said lightly.

"Try me," Alexandra challenged. "You're not going to run me off, Benson. So unless you shoot me or push me out of a two-story building, I'm going to be here. I _want_ to be here." _God, did I just say that?_

"Why do you think I'm trying to run you off?"

Alexandra stared at her. "You're hardly been friendly. Hell, you've barely been tolerable. You don't share shit with me. You go off on your own like some cowboy. Do you even know what the word _partner_ means?"

"Look, this is my case. I've been on my own for two months since Kaplan . . . fell." She nearly laughed. She could still picture him dangling from the railing, yelling for her to wait.

"Well, this is _our_ case now and why the hell are you smiling?"

"He was twenty pounds overweight. I told him to go down and take the stairs," she said. "But he couldn't let me win. Couldn't let me catch the guy without him."

"So he jumped?"

"Jumped? No, he tried to hang himself from the fire escape," she said. "He was up there doing chin-ups, trying to climb back up."

Alexandra didn't know Kaplan, but the visual she got made her smile.

"So, where are we going?"

"Central. Why don't you call Fisk and get the address."

Twenty minutes later, they were in the downtown warehouse district. Alexandra recognized one of the uniformed men from her days at Central. Paul Stanton. He'd asked her out nearly once a week for the first year.

"Hey, Paul, how's it going?"

"Alexandra? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Assault."

"I'm with Homicide now. Did you find her?"

"No. Someone called it in. By the time we got here, there was already a crowd. Got a woman over there that can identify her," he said, pointing to an elderly lady talking to another officer.

"Thanks, Paul."

Olivia watched the exchange silently, noting the friendly smile Alexandra gave Stanton. Well, they definitely had different methods. She nodded as Alex headed off. She went in the opposite direction, to the Dumpster.

"What do we have?" she asked as she peered inside.

"What you see is what you get, Benson."

Olivia glanced up quickly, then took a step forward. "I see what I see. I asked what you had?" she said quietly, her piercing stare pinning him in place.

"Working girl, most likely. Teenager. Dumped last night, probably. The guy in the bookstore found her when he was taking out trash."

"Why do you think she was dumped last night?"

He shrugged.

"Who's here from the Medical Examiner?

"Spencer."

"Where is she?"

"Back in the van," he said.

Olivia walked over to the van and knocked once on the outside panel. The back door swung open and Rita Spencer stepped out. Their eyes met and there was an uncomfortable silence. There was always an uncomfortable silence, ever since the one night they'd spent together nearly a year ago. Olivia shoved her hands in her pockets and waited for Rita to speak.

"Figured this was your case, Benson. Sara said you'd been raising hell at the lab yesterday over the other one."

Olivia nodded. "How are you?"

"Great. You?"

"Wonderful," Olivia said dryly. "What you got?"

"Appears to be the same MO. The only bruising I can see is around the neck. We'll have to wait until we open her up, of course. But I'd say you've got a serial."

"Yeah. Wonderful."

Rita motioned with her head to Alexandra as she walked toward them. "Who's your partner?"

Olivia waited just a second until Alexandra joined them. "Alex Cabot. Rita Spencer," she said.

"It's Alexandra," she said, shaking hands with the other woman. "Same as before?"

"Most likely."

Alexandra nodded, then looked at Olivia. "Mrs. Perez says her name is Crystal. Says she comes into the bakery every morning when they open. Seven," she said in response to Olivia's raised eyebrows. "She doesn't know where she lives. She walks north when she leaves."

Olivia nodded. They had nothing. Well, except the face that the girl wasn't dumped last night. Olivia had seen her at one. She turned without a word and walked away.

**To Be Continued...**


End file.
